Compare the2022 Kia SoulVS 2021 Nissan Rogue Sport

Both the Soul and the Rogue Sport have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, front wheel drive, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, daytime running lights, rearview cameras, available crash mitigating brakes, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rear cross-path warning and driver alert monitors.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Kia Soul is safer than the Nissan Rogue Sport:

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

For its top level performance in IIHS driver and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, side impact, roof strength and head restraint tests, with its optional vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention system, with its optional vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention system, and its available headlight’s “Good” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Soul the rating of “Top Pick” for 2021, a rating granted to only 121 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Rogue Sport has not been fully tested, yet.

The Soul comes with a full 5-year/60,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The Rogue Sport’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 2 years or 24,000 miles sooner.

Kia’s powertrain warranty covers the Soul 5 years and 40,000 miles longer than Nissan covers the Rogue Sport. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the Rogue Sport ends after only 5 years or 60,000 miles.

To reliably power the ignition and other systems and to recharge the battery, the Soul has a standard 150-amp alternator (130-amp - Soul Turbo). The Rogue Sport’s 120-amp alternator isn’t as powerful.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Soul first among small suvs in their 2020 Initial Quality Study. The Rogue Sport isn’t in the top three in its category.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2020 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Kia vehicles are better in initial quality than Nissan vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia first in initial quality, above the industry average. With 25 more problems per 100 vehicles, Nissan is ranked 13th.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2021 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Kia vehicles are more reliable than Nissan vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia third in reliability, above the industry average. With 31 more problems per 100 vehicles, Nissan is ranked 21st.

The Soul’s standard 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder produces 6 more horsepower (147 vs. 141) than the Rogue Sport’s 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder. The Soul Turbo’s standard 1.6 turbo 4-cylinder produces 60 more horsepower (201 vs. 141) and 48 lbs.-ft. more torque (195 vs. 147) than the Rogue Sport’s 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Kia Soul is faster than the Nissan Rogue Sport:

On the EPA test cycle the Soul EX CVT with its standard engine gets better fuel mileage than the Rogue Sport FWD CVT (29 city/35 hwy vs. 25 city/32 hwy).

In heavy traffic or at stop lights the Soul’s engine automatically turns off when the vehicle is stopped, saving fuel and reducing pollution. The engine is automatically restarted when the driver gets ready to move again. If the conditions warrant or the driver wishes, the system can be disabled at the start of a trip. The Rogue Sport doesn’t offer an automatic engine start/stop system.

For better stopping power the Soul Turbo’s front brake rotors are larger than those on the Rogue Sport:

The Soul stops much shorter than the Rogue Sport:

For better traction, the Soul X-Line/GT-Line/Turbo’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Rogue Sport (235/45R18 vs. 225/45R19).

The Soul has standard front and rear gas-charged shocks for better control over choppy roads. The Rogue Sport’s suspension doesn’t offer gas-charged shocks.

The Soul Turbo handles at .86 G’s, while the Rogue Sport SL 4x4 pulls only .75 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Soul Turbo executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 2.8 seconds quicker than the Rogue Sport SL 4x4 (26.8 seconds @ .66 average G’s vs. 29.6 seconds @ .53 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the Soul’s turning circle is 2.1 feet tighter than the Rogue Sport’s (34.8 feet vs. 36.9 feet).

The Kia Soul may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 450 pounds less than the Nissan Rogue Sport.

The Soul is 7.6 inches shorter than the Rogue Sport, making the Soul easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The Soul has 6.2 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Rogue Sport (102.2 vs. 96).

The Soul has .1 inches more front hip room, 1.2 inches more rear headroom, 5.4 inches more rear legroom and 5.9 inches more rear hip room than the Rogue Sport.

The Soul has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Rogue Sport with its rear seat up (24.2 vs. 22.9 cubic feet). The Soul has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Rogue Sport with its rear seat folded (62.1 vs. 61.1 cubic feet).

The Soul uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Rogue Sport uses a prop rod to support its heavy hood. It takes two hands to open the hood and set the prop rod, the prop rod gets in the way during maintenance and service, and the prop rod could be knocked out, causing the heavy hood to fall on the person maintaining or servicing the car.

The Soul Turbo has a standard heads-up display that projects speed in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The Rogue Sport doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The power windows standard on both the Soul and the Rogue Sport have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the Soul is engaged the driver can still operate all of the windows, for instance to close one opened by a child. The Rogue Sport prevents the driver from operating the other windows just as it does the other passengers.

Insurance will cost less for the Soul owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Soul will cost $430 less than the Rogue Sport over a five-year period.

The Soul will cost the buyer less in the long run because of its superior resale value. The IntelliChoice estimates that the Soul will retain 51.21% to 55% of its original price after five years, while the Rogue Sport only retains 43.36% to 43.59%.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Kia Soul will be $5170 to $7236 less than for the Nissan Rogue Sport.